Oh my goodness. It is SO cold outside. If you are wondering why this post is coming to you so late in the day that’s why. To make a long story short, I learned some valuable lessons today.
One of them is to invest in snow-proof (fully water resistant) boots if you plan to walk in it for any reason… even if it’s just for thirty seconds. Two is try to avoid having to stop and put air in your tires if it’s close to 0° out, (you just might get frostbite.) And three, well, don’t leave anything you might need in your car if you had to leave it somewhere “for the night”. Up here, overnight might actually mean four days due to snowfall. Not good!
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I wanted to go ahead and move on to something more fun… a continuation of recapping our Paris trip!
I feel like I have been highlighting our whereabouts a lot lately. I apologize to those who click over for new healthy recipe inspirations or workouts, and I promise to resume those type of posts very soon. For now, we have some catching up to do!
Previous Paris recaps include:
• Paris: Notre Dame + Lovers Bridge
I mentioned before that I am trying to stick to the highlights here. It’s so hard! It’s Paris. But I am going to try my best and condense it down.
Exploring Paris: Day 2 Continued
After a busy day of walking the city, we finished the evening with a stop at a famous hot chocolate shop on the way back to our hotel.
Angelina Tearoom is a great (and pretty fancy!) spot to sit down and enjoy something sweet, and always has a line out the door. They are most famously recognized for their hot chocolates and since we were on that side of town anyways, had to stop in and try one.
While waiting, we noticed this isn’t just your every day chocolate shop.
Eventually, we also realized the line was just for those who wanted to sit down at a table and order off of a menu. Our curiosity paid off to quickly check with the front of the line to see if we could just order something to go at the counter, and as you can imagine we ended up buying more than just a couple of hot chocolates.
We left with a variety of macaroons, which was actually my first time trying them. Can you believe that? Total cookie rookie over here.
The hot chocolate was really, really good but definitely on the extremely rich side. I liked it and thought the sipping straw that came with it was adorable.
I sipped mine down quickly, but it took Scott a bit longer to finish his. On our walk to the metro home, we found another well known shopping strip. This time the prices in the windows were unreal.
€31,000 for a dress? Seems reasonable.
It was fun to gaze down the street with envy and window shop with the best of ’em, nonetheless. Also spotted on our stroll were some pretty neat monuments.
Especially, this one.
Any guesses as to what it is?
We obviously didn’t have time to explore the exhibits inside, but managed to sneak in a picture of what it’s like from the window.
I have actually visited a wing before on a trip with my good friend, Heather. All I remember is seeing the Original Mona Lisa painting, so I would really love to revisit it and explore other sections of the museum someday.
We continued on and got back to our hotel with just enough time to shower and get ready to leave for dinner. We had big plans to see the cabaret show Moulin Rouge!
We debated on what big show to see, and strictly for the name’s sake I voted to see that one. We called ahead and reserved two tickets that came with a VIP (skip the line) entry and a half bottle of champagne. To allow enough time to get there early as the tickets suggested, we hurried out the door with a few hours to find dinner and take our time.
We caught the metro over to Boulevard de Clichy and noticed an obvious red light district look to the area right away. It wasn’t quite what we were expecting, so decided to walk a few blocks (hand tightly in hand) to find dinner before the show. We felt safe, but I would never recommend a group of women visiting that area to go late at night by themselves.
After a few failed attempts at restaurants we mapped out ahead of time, we found Cucina Italiana Tentazioni up the biggest hill ever. Walking that in wedges was an experience I secretly gave myself a high five for doing with a smile on my face.
Dinner was great! Like most places we visited, the space was small and we got to know our dining neighbors quickly. We started out with some kind of fresh greens salad with shrimp, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts (I can’t remember the details now.)
I ordered a traditional pasta in bolognase sauce while Scott chose a special with risotto.
I still can’t tell you half of the ingredients of the things we consumed, but I can say that everything was tasty. I already miss the food!
We wrapped up right on schedule to walk back over to the theater.
I still can’t help but to think of the movie and was hoping the show would somewhat resemble it. I enjoyed the whole experience, but Scott, however, had different reviews.
It all started off on the wrong foot when we had to wait at the end of a long line outside of the theater to get seated. Apparently everyone with tickets has those “VIP” tickets, and we all had to wait outside together.
It wouldn’t have been a big deal, but it was pretty cold (in the 40s) and we were told to get there a half an hour before showtime to get seated. The line barely moved until fifteen minutes after the show was supposed to start, and I felt like I didn’t even have time to use the restroom before the lights went down.
Past that, the rest of the experience was great for me. The theater was gorgeous and I really enjoyed the show. Scott thought it didn’t hold a candle to the other shows he has seen, and that it could use a bit of an update with costumes and music. I partially agree, but think that is what also gave the show part of it’s charm.
Tickets were not on the cheap side, however, so we might have had our entertainment judgement hats on. I guess that just goes with working in the entertainment industry!
Regardless of the mixed reviews, I enjoyed our outings and fell fast asleep on our taxi ride home.
I hope to wrap up our time in Paris with two more post recaps. Ahh, there’s just so much to share! Are you getting sick of them yet? I hope not.
See ya in the morning!
Miranda @ Lovely Wife Lovely Life
Even if the show wasn’t the best, it was still in PARIS. I still can’t get over that. I’m totally loving these Paris recap posts! Also, I give you standing ovation for walking up a hill in wedges 😉
Heather
Yes, I know… that’s why I still have very positive things to say! I’m glad you are enjoying the recaps, because I still have more to share!
Anna-Marie @Beauty and the Beets
Ah! Moulin Rouge- yay!!
Heather
😀
Allison Thompson
I’m really enjoying the Paris re-caps, too! I would LOVE to visit Europe (and especially France) some day. P.S. I’m in Michigan, too and am FROZEN and snowed in over here, too!
Heather
Thanks Allison! Oh man, hope you are keeping warm!
Presley @ Run Pretty
Don’t mind me, I’m just casually pretending to be you right now. hahah I need a vacation!
Heather
Aw, you definitely deserve one momma! Hope you have a good weekend!
Emily
I think we are all loving the recaps! Keep them coming! Love the sledding one, too. My bf and I actually went to buy sleds the other day and they were all sold out!
Heather
Oh no!! We don’t actually own one yet. Or skiing apparel. I guess that’s what friends are for, right?
Runner Girl Eats
I looovvveeee the recaps! We skipped the show when we were in Paris but I wish I would’ve forked over the money just to see it…I guess I just need to go back to Paris sometime 😉
Heather
Haha, I guess so! Same with us on the Love Lock Bridge.
Jess
Loving recaps so far! As a fellow chocolate lover, that hot chocolate is on my to do list when I get to visit Paris someday! Thanks for sharing!!!
Heather
Angelina’s was definitely the place to get one!